April 28: Living in Shame?

Fifth Sunday of Easter

In the reading from St. John’s first letter, he talks about our hearts condemning us. (1 John 3:20) He is referring to the shame we feel when we do something sinful. When he says God is greater than our hearts he means that even when we know we have sinned, even if we feel unworthy to be forgiven, God is still a forgiving God, who doesn’t wait for us to be “worthy.” He patiently waits for us to ask for his mercy, to want his forgiveness. So when we confess our sins, we need not doubt that we are forgiven.

But sometimes we feel shame when we have done nothing wrong. It may be something simple, like sneezing in the quiet part of a symphony. Or perhaps something more serious, such as when you accidentally hurt someone. That is when it is good to remember that God knows what happened and still loves us.

The best way to remember this is by living as God commands, by loving God and our neighbor. If you believe in Jesus, you love God, because you trust that God sent his Son to save us. So we know that God forgives us even before we ask him to. If you love your neighbor, then you reach out to the person you hurt, instead of hiding in shame, and try to help them.

When we stop living in shame and start living in love, we know that the Lord lives in us. And as both the second reading and the gospel point out, we can ask for whatever we need and receive it. For when God lives in us and we live in him, we won’t ask for anything trivial or selfish. His Spirit teaches us how to pray with confidence and faith. We pray as Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy will be done.” Our love and trust in God will help us to accept whatever God sends our way.

Tom Schmidt